Finding Tallahassee
by A Late Gentleman
Summary: Regina is shown in an alternate universe where Emma admits that she has feelings for her. How will Regina be able to admit her feelings to Emma after this? A/N: Thank you to thewhiteknightt for editing this fic and helping me with ideas! :) After Chapter 9, it will be rated M.
1. Chapter 1

It was a cold autumn morning that would've been considered beautiful if not for everyone being in a cemetery. Emma remembered the reason she was here last time was because Neal had died.

Now, she was standing with Henry by her side, watching a casket being carefully placed into the ground. This was a day that Emma never wanted to come.

She hated the fact that Henry had lost his mom, the woman who had raised him for 10 years. Henry wasn't crying, but she was certain that he would later. Everyone in the town was there and it was probably out of politeness for their mayor. Her parents had a history with Regina, but the fact that she changed had warmed them up to her.

Emma had no idea how to take care of Henry and Regina was the one who would always know what to do. Just because she gave birth to Henry doesn't mean that Emma was mom material. Without Regina, Henry could've met the same fate she did.

Henry threw some dirt on her casket and said his goodbyes to Regina. He said he was going to wait at the entrance. Snow and Charming gave Emma hugs and said how sorry they were for her loss.

Emma was now standing alone and staring down at the casket. There was dirt on top with flowers that were truly fit for a queen.

She hadn't felt heartbreak like this, not even when Neal had died.

"You should've let me handle the situation, Regina! Henry _needs_ a mom like you in his life, not me. You didn't have to prove to the town that you are good because Henry and I already knew that."

She felt a tear fall down her cheek and wiped it away. "Who the hell is going to demand that I turn in my paperwork or say that my car's a death trap? I should be the one down there instead of you."

"That's not true, mom." Henry said as he held onto Emma's hand. "Henry, I couldn't save her." She sounded so broken and he squeezed her hand. "Mom knew what she was doing and you did the best you could."

Emma was silent for a moment before clearing her throat, "Let's go get something to eat so we can get out of the cold." She made sure to say a proper farewell to Regina and walked with her son to the diner.

They sat down in the booth that had a sign that read, "Swan-Mills' Booth". Ruby put up that sign up a while back when Regina, Emma, and Henry ate together. The three of them picked that booth every time they came. Now, it was there to stay and it was a bitter-sweet memory.

Henry had ordered for himself and Emma since she sat there quietly while not really reading the menu. The door opened and Emma heard a familiar sound of heels on the linoleum. She knew that sound anywhere and turned around.

She wanted it to be Regina who came in and would begin telling Emma that she had her son for too long or how Henry shouldn't be eating grease. She knew that Regina was gone, but she hoped that this was a curse.

She would break the spell and Regina would be the one waking her up. No matter how hard she hoped for it to be true, it wouldn't happen. This was reality and the reality was that Regina wasn't ever going to return.

Ruby put the food down in front of Emma, but she only drank the coffee. "Emma, I'm here if you ever need to talk." She put a hand on the blonde's shoulder and nodded.

"Thanks Rubes."


	2. Chapter 2

After a few weeks had passed, Emma was packing Regina's things into boxes. She was about to put away the last framed photo when Henry ran into Regina's bedroom.

"You can't take her things!" Henry said as he opened a box that Emma finished packing up.

"Henry, stop it! I'm putting Regina's things in boxes so we can put them somewhere safe."

Henry kept taking things out of the box, "Mom wouldn't have done this to you."

Emma sighed, "Henry..."

Henry held onto Regina's robe tightly, "It's not right to put mom away in boxes just because you can't handle the fact that she's gone."

"This isn't easy for me either kid, but we can get through this together."

Emma put the items back in the box and looked at Henry. "Please Henry, let me put her robe in the box.I don't want anything to happen to it."

She moved closer to Henry who started crying and wrapped her arms around him.

"We'll unpack her things and put them all back in their rightful place, okay?"

Henry nodded and both of them began to unpack all of it.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been a few months since the funeral. Emma came out of the kitchen with a lasagna dish in her hands and set it down on the dinner table.

As Henry began eating it after a few bites, he put down his fork. "It doesn't taste the same as hers."

"She didn't exactly leave a recipe for me to follow, so I did the best I could." He pushed his plate to the side, "I'm not going to eat this. You didn't do it right!"

"I'm doing the best I can here! If you don't want to eat it, then fine. I can make you something else."

She stood up from the table and Henry slammed his hands down on the table.

"You're just going to mess that one up to, so don't bother."

As Henry was pushing in his chair to leave, he said, "I wish mom was here instead of you." He ran up the stairs and locked his door.

Emma was speechless and sat down on the floor. She was taking deep breaths and felt like her heart was shattering into pieces.

"Maybe Henry's right. I don't know the first thing about being a mom. Dammit Regina, our lives are falling apart without you. Henry needs you, I need you."

She covered her face with her hands and began to cry. It was the worst feeling in the world to have Henry not want her.

Now she knew the pain that Regina felt each time Henry said he hated her or said that she wasn't his real mom.


	4. Chapter 4

Emma was late picking up Henry from school and saw him sitting at the top of the stairs with his backpack.

She got out of her car, "I'm sorry I'm late Henry. Something came up at work and..." Henry was walking down the stairs and said,

"Mom was _never_ late picking me up."

She turned around and threw her hands in the air, "I'm not her and I don't need you to constantly remind me! Regina is obviously much better at this than I am. I know I'm screwing this up, but I'm trying my best."

Henry didn't say anything and gave her the silent treatment the entire way home.

Emma moved into Regina's home since Henry didn't want to leave.

When Emma stopped the car,she turned around in her seat and said, "I'm going somewhere for a little, okay? I'll be back as soon as I can."

He get out of the car and walked towards the house. He didn't bother looking back at Emma.

It was exhausting taking care of Henry when he was acting like this. Archie told her that it was his way of grieving.

She wished that he hadn't inherited his temper from her.


	5. Chapter 5

She drove to a place that she went now whenever she needed to be alone.

She was walking towards a familiar looking headstone and sank down to her knees in front of it.

"I don't know what I'm doing, Regina. Henry's been acting out lately since you were put to rest and he keeps getting worse. Last week, he yelled at me and said he wished I never stayed after the curse broke.

I swear, he has that same look you used to give me when I really screwed up. He's even inherited that glare of yours that could really kill someone." She chuckled a little and then became serious again.

"I was never able to tell you that I was in love with you when you were alive or that I wanted to be your happy ending. The sad thing is that I don't know if you ever thought of me as your true love even though I thought of you as mine. Please come back to me because you're my Tallahassee.

You were the one who treated me as Emma and not The Savior. You risked your life to save the town down in the mines. Without you, I wouldn't have met Henry or found my parents.

I keep thinking that you'll appear one day at the door and tell me that you only left to protect us. Maybe you'll walk through the station and tell me to write it again or call me Miss Swan when you get upset at me.

I can't do this without you, Regina. Henry needs _both_ of us and it sucks that he got stuck with the mom who just came back into his life. Henry's right, you know. You shouldn't be the one here, it should be me."

It was beginning to snow and Emma curled up into a ball in front of Regina's grave. She knew that this was a stupid idea, but the sadness was paralyzing her.

She couldn't think straight let alone help Henry through the grieving process. He was reaching the point where he was going to shut her out of his life the same way he did with Regina.

"You're being ridiculous by lying here in the snow and thinking that this is the rational thing to do. I didn't save the town just so you could die out here and have Henry lose _another_ parent."

Emma looked up and saw Regina standing over her. "Regina?"

She thought she saw the former evil queen with her hands on her hips.

It was actually Snow and she was helping Emma stand up, but the blonde only saw Regina.

"Henry's been calling everyone and asking where you went. He sounded really scared, you know."

Emma hadn't heard Snow and began talking as Snow walked with her back to Regina's home.

"I couldn't save you, Regina. I'm so sorry that you never got your happy ending because of me. I couldn't tell Henry that you were in so much pain when you died in my arms. I had to lie to him and I promised never to lie to him.

You and I made a good you know that I was going to ask you to marry me the next day? I had the ring in the hidden draw of my dresser and told the guy at the shop in New York that I needed a ring fit for a queen. I didn't care that it was expensive because it was for you. I just wished that I had the chance to give it to you."

The blonde started to shiver and she heard Regina say, "You can do this, Emma. You're as much Henry's mother as I was. You _will_ be able to get through this and Henry does care about you. You don't have to go through this alone."

Emma did everything she could to hold herself together. Snow led Emma inside and sat her down in a chair. Snow was busying herself with warming Emma up.

The blonde was finally aware of her surroundings and heard a footsteps coming down the stairs. Henry ran to her and hugged her. "I'm so sorry that I've been a brat lately and I do love you. It's okay if you can't cook mom's lasagna because I can show you. I understand if you're running late sometimes to pick me up.

It means a lot to me that you still take me horseback riding even if you're exhausted from working all week. I love that you bring me hot cocoa in bed on Saturdays and watch a movie with me evén though you don't like it. I promise to listen to you and I won't talk back.

I thought that you didn't want to come home because of me. You might not be mom and know all the stuff she does, but I know you do whatever you can to make me happy."

She hugged him back, "You're stuck with me kid, so get used to it."


	6. Chapter 6

A year had passed and Emma was fiddling with the small box in her hand.

"Come on Mom, you can do it." Henry said encouragingly as they stood in front of Regina's grave.

He asked,"You brought the paper, right?"

Emma was digging through her pockets when Henry gave it to her. "I knew you'd forget, so I grabbed it on the way out."

She smiled, took the paper and ruffled his hair. "I'm really nervous, kid."

Henry nudged her arm in encouragement. She swallowed nervously and began to speak.

"Regina, I know that I wasn't your favorite person when I came into your life. You drove me crazy sometimes and I thought you'd never stop. I'm grateful that I was able to get to know you and that I was able to break doẃn your walls. I know that you're not here to answer, but I hope you would've said yes."

She put the paper on top of the headstone, put the tiny box on top of it, and walked to the car with Henry by her side. They were closer than ever and Emma was thankful that Henry convinced her to do this.

The paper in Emma's handwriting said, "I, Emma Swan, take you, Regina, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to is my solemn vow."

When Emma and Henry turned around to say goodbye, Emma could've sworn she saw Regina smiling and saying, "I would've said yes."


	7. Chapter 7

"...And that dearie is what will happen if you don't let Emma help you."

Regina felt Rumple move his hand away from her forehead and she was able to see that she was back in Mr. Gold's store.

"You must also know that this is only one outcome of what will happen since I'm unable to see the future. Magic, as you know, is very tricky."

The former Evil Queen knew that the Savior had come into her life for a reason, but she didn't know that she'd _need_ her help in order to save the town again.

As she began to walk back to her mansion, she was thinking about how ridiculous it was that Emma would have those types of feelings for her let alone want to _marry_ her too!

The blonde had always found a way to make her job as mayor harder for the brunette and was teaching Henry new ways to drive her insane.

The truth was that she did love being challenged by Emma and was happy to see Henry smiling again.

Emma being in Storybrooke had also added something to her life and that was what a real family was.

The younger woman taught Regina how to navigate her world and Regina taught her about the Enchanted Forest. The more she listened to Emma's stories, the more time they spent together.

Regina was lost in her thoughts until she spotted the Sheriff's cruiser in front of her home. It was odd since she didn't recall calling Emma to have a meeting with her and Henry was with her parents so she knew he was safe.

For what other reason would Emma be here?


	8. Chapter 8

Regina went into her home and Emma turned around when she heard the door open.

"Why would you go to visit Gold on your own? I know that you can take care of yourself, but I was still worried about you going there by yourself!"

The Sheriff had her arms crossed over her chest and had her hair in a ponytail instead of wearing her hair down. She was waiting for Regina to answer, but the brunette didn't know what to say to her.

Regina knew that she couldn't reveal to Emma what Gold had shown her, but she didn't want to remain silent. She rubbed her forehead, "Emma, I'm very tired, and would like to go to bed now. Can we continue this tomorrow morning?"

As Regina made her way to the staircase, Emma had moved in front of her to block her path. "No, I want to talk about it now. It isn't like you to go to Gold and return so calm. You're usually upset about one thing or another and calling him a 'stupid imp' behind his back."

"I...I needed some help from him that I couldn't get anywhere else." She said.

Emma frowned, "You know that you can always come to me about whatever is on your mind. We're more alike than we are different."

Regina nodded, "I know Emma, but this was something that only he alone could do."

Emma shook her head, "That's bullshit and you know it, Regina! You could've come to me and you didn't. You made your choice."

Regina sighed heavily, "It's true, Emma. He was the only one who could help me realize something important."

"What was so damn important then?"

"You."

"What?"

"Nevermind, Miss Swan. This doesn't concern you anymore, so goodnight."

"Oh no, you don't get to call me 'Miss Swan' when I'm finally getting some answers."

"Emma, either you leave right now or I am going to _make_ you leave."

"You'll make me leave? You don't scare me, Regina."

Regina pursed her lips, "Miss Swan, please leave before I lose my patience with you."

Emma stayed where she was and waited for Regina to do something.


	9. Chapter 9

"This is ridiculous, Miss Swan. I don't have endless amounts of time to waste like you do. After all, one of us does run this town." "No, what's ridiculous is that you didn't even give me a chance to try to help you." "Trust me, you wouldn't be able to help me with this." "Tell me why I wouldn't be any help and I'll go." "I can't, please understand that." "That answer isn't good enough."

"Good enough? How dare you say whether my answer isn't to your satisfaction!" "Just stop being such a hardass and tell me already, dammit!"

Regina saw this special look in Emma's eyes that would appear whenever they fought like this and were in close proximity to each other.

At first, she just thought that Emma was angry, but her eyes didn't reflect that. Emma slowly stepped forward until she was so close to Regina that she could smell her perfume. The Savior leaned in forward and whispered, "I care about you, Regina. I just want to make sure that you're safe."

The former Evil Queen wasn't prepared for Emma to say those words, let alone to be so close to her that she could feel the heat coming off of the younger woman's body. Emma was the only one who time and time again was there by her side even when nobody else would believe her. The worst thing that could happen if Regina told Emma how she felt was that she could be rejected. She wanted to prove to the other woman that she was capable of loving someone the way that she once loved Daniel. One thing she wanted to know was if Emma felt the same way as her. If she did, then would Emma take a risk and love her back? 


	10. Chapter 10

"I saw my own funeral! Henry was so hurt that I wasn't alive anymore and he taken it all out on you as though you were the reason I was dead. Through it all, I realized that the two of you were the only ones who truly cared that I had died." Regina had not been this vulnerable in a long time.

"I saw you propose to me at my grave. You made me feel so loved and you accepted me for who I was. You saw me as Regina, not the Evil Queen. Thank you for that."

The brunette felt tears falling down her cheeks. The blonde had wrapped her arms around the older woman and pulled her close to her.

Regina inhaled the scent from Emma's leather jacket and began to sob quietly. Emma put a finger under Regina's chin so she was looking at her and kissed her softly.

Regina finally understood what love was and it was not a weakness. To her, love had a name and it was Emma Swan.


End file.
